When you have a huge game on your network, and you're battling cable companies in the news daily, it's probably a good idea to make sure your own commercials are good to go. I don't even know why I was paying attention when this ad came on, and I may be wrong here, but wasn't Thanksgiving last week?

Byant Gumbel aside you're probably better off just skipping the Thursday game alltogether. I can't stress how boring an awesome game seemed last night due to the coverage.

This item is a day old, but I figured I'd throw it up anyway. Ron Jaworski watches a TON of game film, and on Tuesday he saw something that maybe not everyone else did. Jaws claims Randy Moss is still taking plays off and coming from him we almost have to take that as gospel. Via The Boston Herald....

During a conference call with reporters yesterday, Jaworski, who will be in the booth for Monday night’s game between the Pats and Ravens in Baltimore, claimed he saw Moss slacking off at times when his number wasn’t called.

“Quite honestly, when I went through the tape, it was the first time that I was personally disappointed in a Randy Moss performance,” Jaworski said of the NFL’s leading receiver, who caught five passes for 43 yards in the 31-28 win against the Eagles. “I did not see the same energy on every single play that I had seen so far this season.

I guess the big question is....Do you even care? I mean outside of Hines Ward and Ray Lewis don't most players take a down or two off??? This seems pretty insignificant to me, but media outlets are picking it up all over the place today (there was a segment devoted to it on First Take).

I belive Jaws when he says that Moss is loafing, but do you think anyone in New England cares at all?

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

27-17 to start the 2nd half, and if Bryant Gumbel keeps this up we'll all be asleep part of the way through the third.

Is it just me or does Adam Schefter look like Bill Simmons' doppelganger?

Miles Austin has a nice return and almost took the 2nd half kick all the way. Crosby tackled him at the 44. Favre isn't out of the locker room yet.

A pass interference penalty and a J Jones run gets the Cowboys into Packers' territory. Favre appears with a sleeve and he might be coming back into this thing. That would be really dumb considering this game doesn't really mean much in the Playoff picture.

Romo hits Witten for an 8 yard game and the Cowboys are short of a first and they're going for it on 4th down. No good.

"Stuffed in the hole."- Bryant Gumbel

Rodgers is sacked on first down, and Gumbel is driving me insane. Rodgers is looking damn good as he hits Driver on third down and follows that with a big run and a scrambling pass to Lee. Packers ball at the 25.

The Cowboys bail out Rodgers with a facemask penalty on a sack, and a Rodgers pass to Driver has it inside the five. A pass to Kuhn gets it close to the goal line, and a nice tackle saves the TD. But it's a first down.

"John Perry says that's close enough for government work."- Bryant Gumbel describing the ref measuring for the first down.

TOUCHDOWN PACK! Ryan Grant!!!

27-24 'Boys.

Cowboys ball at the 20. Romo throws a screen to Witten for negative yards, and they follow with another screen for even more negative yards. 3rd and long....Delay of Game and the Packers Fans are getting into it! 3rd and 19...

Damn....Romo somehow finds Crayton after rolling out. First down. And Jerry Jones has made his way down to the sidelines. Barber gets a nice run around outside and a facemask penalty will bump that another 15.

"And the Packers are starting to get frisky here!" - Dick Enberg, on the radio (Via S2N

What I wouldn't give for you tonight Dick.....Umm wait....what did I just say?

Owens bobbles a pass out of bounds that the refs call a catch, and GB challenges and it's overturned. Owens catches another for 9 yards and it's 3rd and 1 at the 20...

Barber runs it inside the 5. God he is a beast. A delay of game sends it back 5 though and it's 1st and goal for the Cowboys. End of the third.....

Barber for a short gain on first, and a pass to Owens....Touch......WAIT!!!!!!!! Owens drops it, flips it up in the air and Al Harris picks it off!!!!!!!!

"Maybe it was all that butter from the Popcorn from earlier."- Bryant Gumbel

Good one Gumby. First down pass to Jennings on the slant. A few plays later the Cowboys pick up a sack and the Packers punt with 12 minutes left.

Holy shit....the Celtics beat the Knicks 104-50!!!

Romo hits Witten on two passes by the second is coming back on a hold. Another pass to Witten gets it closer to a first....3rd and 8 and the Packers finally hit Romo. Witten gets it yet again and another first. He's open every play and AJ Hawk is saying he pushed off.

Deep ball to Austin....he's tripped up. No call....wait....the refs discuss the play and throw a flag after all. That was a pretty bad call. There was a bit of contact but Austin just got tripped up.

Incomplete pass on first and Barber gets nothing on 2nd. 3rd and Goal.....

TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS.....Patrick Crayton from Romo.

34-24

Wait....did the NFL Network just run a commercial for the Colts-Falcons game??? Yes, yes they did. Hilarious.

Rodgers to Driver on first, and Aaron runs for a first down. A pass to Driver gets another first into Cowboys territory. Deep pass to Jennings is incomplete, and it's 2nd and 10. Koren Robinson gets a screen and a nice run and it'll be 3rd and 1. Grant picks up the first with about 5 minutes left.

Wait no....the spot is short. He really looked like he had it and the refs are completely hosing the Packers tonight. They elect to kick a looooong field goal....

Mason Crosby nails the 50+ yarder and it's a one TD game....

34-27

Austin gets it out to about the 40 and he's turning into a pretty good return guy. Barber picks up a few, and follows that with a big pass to Witten for a first down into Packer territory.

Barber with a short gain, but face mask penalty adds another 15.

"You can't rip someone's helmet off at this point in the game."- Cris Collinsworth

Is it ever okay?

Barber picks up 6 or 7 on first down and the Packers call Timeout....their 2nd. 3 minutes to go. MBIII for the first down and that might rap it up unless the Packers let the 'Boys score. Barber for a short gain and we're at the two minute warning.

Barber is short of the first on third down and Nick Folk for the FG at the one minute mark.....Good.

37-27.

"And Williams gets baptized at the twenty yard line."- Bryant Gumbel

Um what?

Rodgers hits Driver and Jennings to get the ball to the 45. 4th down....incomplete. Valiant effort by Aaron Rodgers but the Refs, er Cowboys prove to be too much.

Special thanks goes to Bryant Gumbel for making me want to pass out the entire game and it was good to have you tonight. I'd like to say I'll be live-blogging next week's game, but I don't know if I can take this boredom again.

Not sure how many of you are going to be able to watch this along with me tonight, but hopefully it's a good number. If you're going out to a bar be safe, and I'll expect you to report back later.

I'll kick things off shortly with a few notes from the pregame, but I'll see you for the duration of the night around 8pm.

"All my compadres are out on the field as you can see on the screen. If we had a lady in the middle named Alice, we'd be the Brady Bunch."- Rich Eisen

These guys on the field before the game is brutal. If I hear "these guys on the field are warming up" from one more of these asses I'm going to throw my laptop at the TV. Every single one of them says it, including Eisen when it gets to him.

Yes, Eisen....I can see Tony Romo stretching in tight white pants. You don't have to tell me 40 damn times.

Wow, Eisen just tried to get Troy Aikman's attention for about 15 minutes before he turned around. You know Troy was thinking "What Dick?!" Might have to put that video up.

Poetry Slam for the opening! Nice!!!

"The cheeseheads melting in their seats."- Poetry Slammer

"And here come the Packer.....er Cowboys."- Bryant Gumbel

Pretty good call when dudes in Cowboy Hats are running on the field with flags.

An intro with Sean Taylor and a soundbytes from around the league. Good stuff. The moment of silence was pretty chilling, and I don't know if I'll be able to watch it all day Sunday.____________________________________

There's the kickoff and the Packers get the ball at their own 30. Favre to Martin on a slant for a first down and the crowd is loud tonight. Lots of Packers fans in the building. James Jones falls down on the next play. Favre goes deep to James "Earl" Jones and just misses him. He had him on that one....3rd and long.....

FUMBLE!!!! Favre stripped, but there's a flag on the play....offsides on the 'Boys

3rd and 5....complete to James Jones on a low throw. Nice catch. Collinsworth tells us they're going to pick on Reeves all night, and I don't doubt it. I'm not throwing near T. Newman if I'm the pack.

Back to back runs by Ryan Grant gets it to 3rd and short at the Cowboys' 30. Favre throws the fade to Driver down the right hand side in the endzone and it's incomplete. FG attempt by Crosby....

Good! 3-0 Pack.

"Good field position for the Packers' offense." - Bryant Gumbel (Via Hanrahan)

Romo to Owens and Al Harris steals the ball!!! Refs say no! Forward progress stopped....bull shit. Terrible call. Al Harris gets a penalty on top of it. And McCarthy challenges it, but not the interception or strip, but the fact it was incomplete. That's not being overturned.

Upheld and it's Dallas ball inside Packer territory. A screen to Julius Jones picks up 20 and Dallas is inside the Red Zone.

So I had the NFL.com/Live up for the Red Zone play and it's pretty quick...about 4 seconds behind. They had all of Dallas' plays in the Red Zone and then went back to the studio show right after the Folk FG. Pretty neat from what I've seen.

3-3 Tie.

Favre to Koren Robinson on first for about five, and Grant is destroyed by Roy Williams as he crosses the line. Great hit. 3rd and 3 for the Pack...Favre is hit as he throws and it's incomplete.

Cowboys ball at their 35. Jones with a few on first and Romo hits Owens for the first. Big run by Barber to take it down to around the 30 nets another first and the Cowboys are driving again. Incomplete pass by Romo followed by another short run by Barber and it's 3rd and long.....

A huge drop by Owens and the Cowboys are kicking again.....

Good! Nick Folk hits another one....

6-3 Dallas and we've got a shootout!

Play action by Favre and he's going deep......Pickle! Favre was hit as he threw and that was too easy. Cowboys ball in Packers territory. Romo to Owens and the ball is inside the ten!!!!

"and it'll be the Cowboys ball inside the ten."- Bryant Gumbel speaking with the voice of a mouse on the biggest play of the game so far.

Romo to Crayton! Touchdown!!! Too easy...

13-3 Cowboys.

Koren Robinson brings it out to the 30 and the Green Bay Favres will start from there.

"Listening to bryant gumble announce is torture."- Anon

Seriously. This crew doesn't really make mistakes....they just make me want to take a nap. Gumbel is just dreadful.

Screen for nothing to Grant, a long incomplete pass, and it's 3rd and long again.....And James Jones drops an easy third down. 12 Men on the field for Dallas will give the Pack another shot on third down. 3rd and 1....Timeout Cowboys.

RYAN GRANT UP THE MIDDLE AND NO ONES CATCHING HIM!!!!!!! Huge play....62 yards.....

13-10 with 1 second left in the first.

"Wade Phillips has to be bemoaning the penalty that gave them third and short."- Bryant Gumbel

Half of the Football Fans in the World don't know what bemoaning means Bryant.

Onside kick by Crosby!!! Wow that came out of nowhere.....and it bounced up and hit a Packer running up the field. Perfect onside kick and the Pack got it, but that's a penalty.

Miles Austin with a huge return on the re-kick, but there's a penalty on the play. Holding on the return team. End of the first quarter.

ROMO TO OWENS FOR A HUGE GAIN AS WE START THE 2nd. For some reason the Packers had AJ Hawk on him. 1st and 10 at the Packers' 30.

They go down to Deion and you can't hear a word he's saying about the secondary because the mic seems to be in his mouth....meanwhile.....

Touchdown Cowboys!!! Romo to Fasano....

20-10 Cowboys and we really do have a shootout now.

Packers ball at their own 20. Two runs for Grant nets a first down, and a FLEA FLICKER!!!!!!! Into double coverage and incomplete. Favre is just forcing things now....as if that's anything new. Favre throw it deep again!!! And into double coverage again!!! Cowboys should have had the pick but they break each other up.

3rd and long and Brett throws a fadeaway to Jones for the first down. 19 yards. Grant gets negative yards after the chains move.....

Favre hit as he throws and it's picked!!! And don't look now Packers' fans, but Brett is hurting.

Newman on the interception and the Cowboys can put some distance between them and the Packers with another score here. Romo deep to Austin!!!! Incomplete but there's a pass interference penalty. Cowboys ball at the five. False start puts it back five, so it's first and goal at the ten.

"AA are you being Gumbled? Romo to Fasano, kid."- Gangsta D

Apparently I am. I even said Fasano out loud.

An incomplete pass to Fasano after a diving attempt, and Dallas is going to challenge it. Upheld.....buuuuuuuut......

ROMO TO OWENS! Again....too easy.....

27-10.

Wow....Favre's return is questionable. An Aaron Rodgers sighting!!!

Rodgers on the rollout....batted down. Short run by Grant, and it's 3rd and long. Rodgers takes it himself and picks up the first. Strong run and he's helicoptered at the 35.

Aaron throws into double coverage and should have been picked off. Lee for a few yards on 2nd. Incomplete. Packers are punting. Great punt as it's inside the five.

A great point by reader JK, "Bryant's first down thing is driving me insane. Every single time a guy gets a first down he says it "appears to be close to the marker"when the guy is two yards past the line."

"Demarcus Ware, what a tool he is."- Cris Collinsworth (Via Anon and Nick)

Romo to Owens with a duck of a pass that's just completely over ran by Harris. Barber runs for nothing and two incomplete passes by Romo leads to a McBriar punt. Packers ball at their own 26 as Rodgers lead them back out.

Confusion on first down and that's a loss of a yard. Wow....a short pass to Jennings and he schools the defender and follows blockers down the field for a huge gain! Great moves by the Western Michigan alum. Another 9 to Jennings is followed by a Grant run for a first down at the 20.

If this doesn't show you how unsympathetic and cowardly the NFL Network is acting in this whole Cable Carriage thing then I don't know what will. NFL Network Committee Chairman Jerry Jones was scheduled to be on the New York radio show Mike and The Mad Dog this morning, but after hearing them side with the Cable Companies he changed his mind. Via Sports Business Daily...

Francesa said Cowboys Dir of PR Rich Dalrymple “listens to the show, and he’s smart and he knows what we were saying, and he’s not going to put Jerry Jones in a position where he’s going to get argued with." Francesa, on the NFL: “They’re the ones who are in the wrong here. I don’t care how many ads they buy in the newspapers, they’re the ones who are trying to push an issue here. They are trying to create a model that was started by ESPN."

Earlier in the show, Russo said the NFL is "so completely wrong, it’s their product. If they cared about you, the fan, and your eyeballs, they would make sure that that product was watched. And they’re not making sure of that”

That's pretty weak sauce if you ask me, but I guess that's what makes Jerry Jones a smart businessman. Never put yourself in an uncompromising situation. Also, good for Mike and The Mad Dog for saying somthing though. I think after tonight the NFL might change their tune because there just won't be the outcry that they're looking for, or excuse me....trying to create. Like someone in the comments mentioned earlier today.....What happens on the NFL Network from February to July? Not much.

And Cris Collinsworth's thoughts on the number of people watching him tonight......

I kid with that title actually. The one thing that ESPN consistently does right is the "This Is SportsCenter" commercials. Well, in fairness advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy does the commercials, but ESPN does deserve some praise.

That praise will be actually coming from...well themselves. ESPN will air a One-hour Special on December 12th which will chronicle all of the advertisements that they've aired for SportsCenter over the years. The show will be hosted by Karl Ravech and will feature 50 past commercials (including the very 1st one), interviews with some of the athletes in the ad (Roethlisberger, Clemens, and Trevor Hoffman have already been named), and debut three new spots.

I mentioned this about a month ago, but with Tony signing back on with local DC Radio this past October I thought he might be considering leaving MNF. Well after that post, most of you noted that Kornheiser did the same thing last year and still ended up back in the booth. Well now there are even more rumors circulating that the ESPN Analyst might be leaving the gig for good.....

DCRTV is hearing more rumblings that Washington Post superstar sports columnist Tony Kornheiser will not be returning to ESPN's "Monday Night Football" next season. We're told that Kornheiser wants to focus on his local morning radio show, which resumes on new talker 3WT in January, and on his ESPN "PTI" afternoon TV program. Kornheiser's decision to give up the "MNF" color spot could cause some hurt feelings at ESPN, which removed sports media rival and former Redskin great Joe Theismann from the "MNF" broadcast booth before this season's shows started. However, Kornheiser has publicly said that he and Theismann have a friendly relationship.

For those of you not from the area DCRTV is pretty "in-the-know" in regards to local Radio, but they have started unsubstantiated rumors in the past. Who really knows what Tony will do, but if this rumor is true it would honestly be the best thing for the guy.

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

"Don, you gotta get me in the cast of Ocean's 14 man. If I can deal w/ Kobe, then I can deal with Clooney."- SP

"Don, don't tell anyone, but I thought you were hot as hell in that cowboy outfit in Boogie Nights! (rubs nipples)"- Anon

"Hey Derek, you see those new Olympic Mascots?Yeah Don, that's some next level shit. Which one are you most like?QuatchiMe too!."- Jon________________________________________

Are you funny enough to create a caption for this photo of Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl, Nuggets players Linas Kleiza and Eduardo Najera at Los Angeles Lakers' Coby Karl's apartment for T-Giving Dinner?

I know we've all beaten this issue into the ground regarding Sean Taylor, and giving Cowherd press in any way is the opposite of what I've said in the past, but this needs to be said. It's one thing to speculate that the death of Sean Taylor was directly related to his character (ala Wilbon), but it's another thing to completely gloat over the fact you think you're right (with no facts to prove it).

"Sean Taylor, great player has a history of really really bad judgment, really really bad judgment. Cops, assault, spitting, DUI. I'm supposed to believe his judgment got significantly better in two years, from horrible to fantastic? 'But Colin he cleaned up his act.' Well yeah, just because you clean the rug doesn't mean you got everything out. Sometimes you've got stains, stuff so deep it never ever leaves."

"I want to know the truth. I want to know the details. It's not pretty? I don't care, I'm a grown-up. I can handle not pretty. A lot of people can't in the media, a lot of people can't, 'Oh, wah wah wah, sensitivity, he's a great person, wah wah wah.' Hey, I don't care, that's fine, he died, let's get to the truth. We're all about the truth. We always say on this show, we're not always good, we're always honest. Just give me honesty."

No, all the information's not in. But I feel pretty confident that my gut feeling, like any of yours, by the way, is right and was right.

Oh no! He spit on someone? Crucify him! And a DUI?!?! About 50% of the people I know have one. Is that right or okay? Of course not, but you know when they got them??? When they were young and they've since grown up. Who cares if multiple people have said the guy has grown up since the birth of his child and that the cops are saying this is just a random act of violence (although Antrelle Rolle says different)? Let's just go with it. Even if you are right....who the hell cares? Go ahead and brag about it you douche. Congrats....you win nothing.

According to Cowherd, gut reactions are now considered fact on ESPN Radio. Again, I don't listen to Colin Cowherd (never really did until the whole TBL thing), but this s**t with him has gotten completely out of hand. He's a sensationalist and unprofessional as it gets. While we already knew that, the crap his spewing over the past few days is completely ridiculous. I know ESPN does nothing in regards to these situations (sans-Harold Reynolds), but I want them to know that ESPN Radio will never grace these ears until that jackass is gone and I hope the readers here do the same.

Just wanted to pass along this set of vids found at The Wizard Of Odds this morning. Growing up next to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland you are trained for one thing...well two. Crappy, Running Football Teams and hating Army.

For some reason I still watch the game every year, and this year will be no different. Well except for the added value of a YouTube war between the two rivals....

Enjoy our Bowl Game is pretty classic, but the production quality in the Army video wins out. Won't matter though...Navy wins this one by 20.

Why this day in age you'd choose to play this song is beyond me, but the University of Arizona made local news yesterday by pumping fake crowd noise into practice and blasting Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight......

Fake crowd noise caused a very real headache on Wednesday for those living near Arizona Stadium.

The University of Arizona Police Department received numerous noise complaints from surrounding homes during the UA football team’s two-hour practice inside the stadium. Wildcats coaches pumped in crowd noise, complete with tape of a public-address announcer, to replicate the gameday atmosphere in their final full-bore practice of the regular season.

The noise blared from about 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Arizona coaches capped practice by piping in Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”.

That's an odd choice to say the least. The song doesn't really make me want to go hit someone. If I was a neighbor and they were playing 'Let The Bodies Hit The Floor' or something, I'd probably be upset. But 'In The Air Tonight'? You just chill and wait for that sweet ass drum solo right???

It's not exactly the same as watching the actual game, but it seems NFL.com is going to do the best it can to make sure you're up to date during the contest. If you have an internet connection you can head to league's website tonight for what they're billing as the "the first widely available Live Online and Wireless Video NFL Game Coverage in U.S.".

Confused? I am too, but here are the details from what I can gather. NFL.com will feature a live studio show during the game consisting of Derrin Horton, Jamie Dukes, and Rod Woodson. They will show video highlights, answer questions from the readers, but most importantly...provide live Look-Ins during the contest.

The Look-Ins will come at :15 and :45 past each hour and occasionally when a team reaches the Red Zone. While it's not exactly the same as viewing the game in its entirety, it's definitely a great gesture for NFL-N to provide this to fans of both teams.

Other Features Of The Online Telecast:

- Live Stats- A "Call The Play" Feature where you can guess the plays of each team- Live-Blogging from NFL-N Experts On-site- Information on how to get the NFL Network from you Cable Provider

While this seems like a great idea, I hope this doesn't turn into just one giant add for NFL Network. You can access all of the NFL-N fun at NFL.com/Live at around 8pm.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

I'll be keeping track of those of the all inner workings of Dick Vitale's mind, and even if you don't watch the game you can enjoy some of what Dickie V is thinking about other than College Basketball. Feel free to play along on your own and add any that I may have missed in the comments.

Tonight's Installment: UNC-OSU, ESPN

1. Jazz Music (After talking about UNC's Wayne Ellington)2. The city of Toledo3. Missouri Football4. Chase Daniel5. Wants to work with John Saunders on College Football6. Not knowing Math and Trigonometry (After calling Ginyard and Green G-Cubed)7. The Commandments8. Travis Ford9. Outback Steakhouse10. Rick Pitino11. “The Bunny Rabbit!” (referring to the Engergizer Bunny)12. The New York Yankees13. Mikey Mantle (actually from Dan Shulman)14. Florida Gators Football15. Ronde Barber (Actually from the other night but I'm counting it here)

Vince Neil of Motley Crue warmed up several hours before Steelers game time, belting out the National Anthem before the stadium gates opened. Turns out,that's the only time he got to sing it Monday night.

Rooney said Steelers officials were going to lead Neil onto the field to sing the anthem as the players came out of the locker room to warm up. However, Rooney asked them to wait because the fans, too, took cover when lightning struck and few were in their seats.

By the time the crowd returned to the stands, ESPN and the league did not want the anthem interfering with the broadcast.

"They waited, and then the league and the network said now we don't have a window," Rooney said. "It's unfortunate and certainly something we hope never happens again."

This is getting a bit out of hand if you ask me. I'm not the most patriotic person in the world be the Anthem is just something you never should disrespect like this. It used to be aired before every game and now it's used to fill in commercials before the contest starts. I for one actually enjoy the time spent on the anthem before the game....it never fails to give me chills when someone does an amazing rendition. And if there's a flyby....forget about it. I'm ready to leap out of my skin.

Let's make it a point to bring the anthem back to televised sports okay?

Update: There are conflicting reports on who called the code red, but the League is now taking blame.....

"While ESPN was worried about losing numerous TV viewers who might tune in for the game, only to flip channels during the delay and not return, ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said it was the league's call to bypass the anthem." (Via Anon)

After all of that early nonsense the Semifinals have shaped out pretty nicely. Sal Masekela is apparently the George Mason of the group, but we should get a solid winner after it's all said and done. Remember folks vote for who you think is worserererer than the other.

If you weren't aware Bill Simmons is "Chatting for Charity" today in what will end up being a 6-hour event to raise money for the Jimmy V Foundation. Right in the beginning of the chat came this exchange.....

Scott (Chicago, IL): You should have started the chat at 9:00 am, because you would have, easily, broken the record, seeing how everyone who is in this chat is at work, and would be on it til 5:00 with you. What are you going to do at 5:00 when everyone leaves work? I love you, but I don't love you enough to stay late at work just to chat about inane things going on in the world!

SportsNation Bill Simmons: (12:18 PM ET ) We thought about this, but 9:00 am equals 6:00am West Coast time, and I am incoherent when it's that early. I would have been giving answers like Emmitt Smith.

Zing! Don't know how long until they take it down so I took that screen shot for you. It is still up after an hour and a half of chatting, so maybe ESPN feels the same way we all do about Emmitt. I'm blowed away that they do.

Scott (Chicago, IL): You should have started the chat at 9:00 am, because you would have, easily, broken the record, seeing how everyone who is in this chat is at work, and would be on it til 5:00 with you. What are you going to do at 5:00 when everyone leaves work? I love you, but I don't love you enough to stay late at work just to chat about inane things going on in the world!SportsNation Bill Simmons: (12:18 PM ET ) We thought about this, but 9:00 am equals 6:00am West Coast time, and I am incoherent when it's that early.

Update #2- Here we go again!

Emmitt Smith: Would you agree that the NFC West is one of the worst conferences in the NFC? You're gonna smash the chat record. Don't quit, don't even quit.

SportsNation Bill Simmons: (1:20 PM ET ) I think the NFC West is going through a rice of passage right now, so you can't make it an escape goat.

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Here are your announcing crews for Week #12 in the NFL. Our good friend Steve Beuerlein is off to Oakland where he plans to call Raiders' RB Justin Fargas an upstanding member of society, and Siragusa is going to Philly where he will talk about either Rocky or Cheesesteaks.

Here are the crews calling the games this weekend brought to your Denver Broncos ' Cheerleaders!

The last time we brought up this issue it was when John Saunders and Bill Walton were covering the FIBA Basketball Championships from Bristol. While I didn't agree with the practice it sort of made sense because the Championships were ALL THE WAY in Las Vegas.

Well CSTV decided to cover the sold out Cornell-Boston U. hockey game at Madison Square Garden in similar fashion. The only problem, their studio is less than a mile down the road....

In particular, the game Saturday was televised, but was done so using the in-house MSG video feed. The regular broadcasters, Matt McConnell and Dave Starman, were not at the event, but rather called the game off video monitors from CSTV's studios about a half-mile away from the Garden.

Clearly, budgetary concerns are at play. Advertising revenue has not been there for CSTV. And when CBS bought the network almost two years ago, it was unwilling to continue absorbing those losses. As a result, hockey has gone from the network's signature sport, to a somewhat lesser role.

This is obviously not a new practice, but what struck me is the amount of money the network saved. CSTV pocketed tens of thousands of dollars by not making the trek down to the Garden. This obviously stinks for Hockey fans and the teams involved, but in the end it makes sense for a struggling Network under the CBS umbrella.

During the height of yesterday's press conference that aired on ESPN (before they cut out early) watch as John Clayton magically appears and then disappears on screen. Watch carefully...

The timing of the appearance with Joe Gibbs speech is about the only thing that got me to smile yesterday. It wasn't funny at all, but just so ridiculous. John Clayton is like the "Whoopdie!" "Toasty" guy from Mortal Kombat, or one of those internet videos that told you to look close and a mummy would pop on screen and scare the crap out of you.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

I'm sick of beating this into the ground and this will be the last post on this, but I still believe ESPN's coverage of this event has been poor at best. Those of you that disagree are entitled to your opinion, and I respect that you feel that way, but there are a few things I wanted to say before sharing these two videos that occurred just 15 minutes apart from one another.

Maybe this is a local story, and maybe National Sports Media isn't prepared for this kind of story because it's so unique. I however don't think my love for the Redskins and for Sean Taylor as a player cloud myself in anyway. As a (self-appointed) critic of Sports Media I honestly try to convey things as unbiased as I possibly can. Sure ESPN gets a lot of flack on these pages, but that's because they air 90% of the content in the Sports World. I also praise them from time to time, but again that's not why this blog exists.

First Take spoke sparingly of Taylor's passing this morning, and while Mike and Mike mentioned it at length I just don't think the coverage was even close to adequate for an entity that dubs themselves "The Leader". The whole morning was a collection of highlights about the field from last night's Monday Night Football game, and how next week the great Patriots were going to be on the network. NFL Live aired and it was obviously taped ahead of time because it spoke of the NFL in a cheery light and nothing could be further from the truth.

Outside the Lines then spoke on the subject with a total of about 4 minutes with original content. They spliced in a previous piece that aired on athletes and guns and a Dana Jacobson piece that was on First Take earlier in the day. ESPN aired the Press Conference at around 4pm, but cut out early to NFL Live for the talking heads to discuss.

To be completely honest, I expected much more from them, and I'm extremely disappointed that they spent so little time on the subject.

The "more" I was looking for came immediately after OTL aired on Comcast Sportsnet, and I wanted to share that video with those of you who don't live in the Metro DC area. Their account below is how things should be done. It's a tough day for Football fans and especially Redskins fans. No matter how the man lived, or once lived his life, he leaves behind a fiancee and an 18-month year old daughter. I think Colin from Bucktown Skins Fan sums it up the best and is making a great effort to help Taylor's family....

"Yesterday, upon hearing about Swoop's serious injury, I created a simple logo with the words "Stay Strong." It was my simple wish for him, and not being a religious man, it was my personal substitute for prayer. I have marked up all of the items, from $1-$5 and as soon as Jason La Canfora passes along the memorial fund/charity information, I will make sure that 100% of the profits from the sale of these items goes to those funds/charities; hopefully to one benefitting his daughter."

Please head to Bucktown Tees and support Colin and his efforts in any way you can.

With that said here are both Outside the Lines and DC Comcast Sportsnet's coverage. OTL aired at 3pm and this piece from CSN aired at 3:15. I'm done trying to make this an issue or convince anyone that this should be of National importance. You can be the judge on which is more informative and which you learned more about the situation from on your own. It's also great to see Leonard Shapiro from the Washington Post in agreeance as well. We'll obviously receive more coverage from ESPN once the entire league pays tribute to Taylor, but I'll still feel it's too late.

(P.S.- If someone from Comcast wants me to take the video down please email. I hope you will understand its use is to make sure people around the Country who read this site know what's going on with the unfortunate situation.)

Well, here it is: Duke fans, and specifically the Crazies, have a chance to hold ESPN accountable. It would be great to deny them that money shot of Crazies in full splendor. It would be classic if, rather than that, whenever the camera panned over them, the Crazies just crossed their arms en masse and stared at the camera until it went away. It would be a mild but effective protest. It probably wouldn’t be as hard to explain as signs and cheers against the Bullies from Bristol, but hey - you guys are creative. We’re sure if you want to let ESPN know you object to their recent maltreatment of one of their major moneymakers, you can come up with something.

I honestly have no idea where this came from, and it seems a bit whiny and we're not getting enough attention, but if this goes down tonight I'm going to be laughing my ass off.

Update: As an anonymous commenter pointed out this could be in response to ESPN's coverage of the Duke Lacrosse case. If that's the case I think it's a little late for that, but whatever makes you feel better.

I guess it's just taking the "Leader" a little bit of time to gather all of their info before they delve into the issue. I don't know what they can tell us that's already been figured out by everyone, but we'll see.

Outside The Lines, First Report- 3pm, ESPN

I'll be sure to try and get some video up, or a synopsis of the program later this afternoon. And for those of you interested on one of the best takes so far please read this article from the Baltimore Sun's Richard Steele linked below....

Update: I don't even have words to describe how short and uninspired that report was. Bob Ley even cut Redskins' Radio Host Larry Michael short, so he could move on to a piece about the Players Union and an interview with Kyle Turley. I'm just sick of this whole thing and it's tough to know what would be the appropriate amount of coverage. I'll post both th OTL and a piece that aired on Comcast immediately following the Bob Ley piece at around 3:15.

LeslieAnn Wade, vice president of communications for CBS, said Beuerlein was joking off-air with play-by-play man Bill Macatee and was unaware the telecast had resumed. Wade said Macatee lives in southern California and follows Trojan football.

"Steve being a Notre Dame guy and like any two friends who have those allegiances would do, they kid each other about Notre Dame and USC all the time,'' Wade said. "Certainly Steve wishes it wasn't on the air and so does CBS, but that is the explanation."

Pretty convenient if you ask me, and the "explanation" line at the end is odd to say the least, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. It didn't sound like Steve was joking at the time, but I guess if that's their story...that's their story.

I thought I'd be able to get past the bad reporting in regards to Sean Taylor's death after that ESPN post below, but alas...I cannot. DC resident and Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon has fueled an even bigger fire today in the Nation's Capital.

Yesterday Wilbon basically took shots at Sean Taylor's character while the 24 year old was struggling for his life yesterday without knowing any of the facts surrounding the shooting and home invasion...

I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn’t surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn’t random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain’t the first and won’t be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It’s sad, yes, but hardly surprising.- Michael Wilbon in The Washington Post Chat House

Some of you are emailing me and saying that this isn't really a national issue and maybe this is a sign that Mainstream Media and Wilbon just weren't aware of the changes that Sean Taylor made in his life after the birth of his child. But Wilbon's own paper even wrote a piece on the subject back in October.....

You're not going to write that a 17-month-old baby girl named Jackie melts his heart, how fatherhood makes him feel like more of a mature, young man and less of the moody knucklehead who came into the league four years ago.

You're not going to write that his teammates love and respect him and not one -- not a single one among 35 you interviewed -- has a bad thing to say about him.

Now I know people only look at the bad and of course my homerism might be coming out in these posts, but it was pretty obvious Sean Taylor had taken a turn for the good. I thought this was pretty evident to much of the Country in fact.

While his past wasn't a secret, Wilbon's comments (at a time when the man was fighting for his life) were irresponsible and unfortunate.

As a lifelong DC/MD sports fan the only thing I can compare this to is the death of Len Bias, but this is different. The kid was 24...24 years old, and didn't die by his own hand. As tragic as Len Bias' death was he did take the cocaine on his own accord.

As far as ESPN's coverage on the subject I just wanted to tell you/them that it's a f'ing joke. Last night they barely broached the subject of the shooting on Countdown and during the game. God forbid you wing things and stray from your schedule and planned New England praising. They even had extra time to come up with something after lightning delayed the start of that pathetic game. They had Suzy Kolber report on the field about 20 times during a game that was tied at zero until 2 minutes left in the contest. I had to change the channel to local coverage to get updates.

Even this morning Sports Center talked about his passing for 60 seconds during a lead-in and are just rerunning the Sports Center, which of course is loaded with Monday Night Football highlights. And you wonder why I've blasted Sports Center in the past? Flip to ESPN News....Monday Night Football is the lead in. Flip to ESPN's First Take....yep, Monday Night Football. How about actual news programs not associated with Sports? Of course Sean Taylor's death is the main topic. On ABC’s "Good Morning America," CBS’ "Early Show" and NBC’s ‘Today’ all spent a good amount of time covering the story this morning.

I know you need to spend time promoting your own products and spin the angle of the field making it a hilarious/goofy night, but this is just appalling. Last night's Football game was the worst I had ever watched, but we get it ad nauseum. It makes no sense that a National News story isn't even being talked about. Maybe Ed Werder couldn't fly to Miami fast enough? This could be the reason the "Leader" only has a small tag along the ESPN News crawl which reads...."Redskins Sean Taylor dies after shooting." Wow, thanks for all the info.

Maybe I'm just coping with my favorite player on my favorite team's death, but this just makes me that much more upset at the Disnergy that's been flooding our television as of late. Maybe they can put something together by 6pm? Or will you still be talking about the Packers-Cowboys game still???

Update: I wanted to change my stance of First Take. The program is actually doing a good job of getting each guest's thoughts on the passing. Great job by them as a live show to give some perspective on Taylor's passing.

That's a photo of the stands from earlier tonight. I think the rain has stopped but this is by far the worst game I've ever watched.

What's with all of this Global Warming/Al Gore talk with Berman as of late? He mentions it during every bad weather game at this point.

It's 0-0 in case you haven't been paying attention, and for your sake I hope you haven't been. Good news....Ricky is apparently going to be okay, and ESPN gets their storyline back! Excellent!!!

Miami gets the ball to start the 2nd, and there are actually lines on the field! Ginn brings it out, and Suzy is wearing her MNF hat again. Very cute if you ask me.

Chapman for zero, but Ginn picks up a nice 15 yard gain on a pretty throw from Beck. Another completion to Booker picks up a 4 yard gain and a trip across midfield for the first time tonight. Chapman for a first down, and don't look now, but the 'Phins are driving!

FLEA FLICKER!!!!!!!! 14 yard gain. I guess that's as exciting as we're gonna get tonight. 1st and 10 at the 29. Run for Chatman gets nothing and a roll out and incomplete puts it at 3rd and 11.

Hahahahaha....a batted down pass is grabbed by Chatman and they lose 4 yards on a possible Field Goal attempt! Too funny. And Miami is going for it!?!?!?! 4th and 15??? Wait...timeout. They need to punt this thing....it's a 49 yarder if they try the kick.

Lemme Lemme Upgrade Ya!!!

They're actually going for it, and Beck is sacked back at the 40. And you wonder why the Dolphins are 0-10. Just stupid.

Parker for 6, Parker for 1, 3rd and 3 pass to Ward for the first. That seemed easy. Parker for 5, Parker for -1, and Big Ben is sacked for a loss of 8. Steelers punt and it goes inside the ten.

You know what makes a boring game better? SEAL!!! That new album sounds...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

"I think this is what it would be like if you played in a Louisiana bayou"- James

Very much so, but you could at least jump across gator's heads like in Bayou Billy if you were in the 'Glades. These players are sinking.

Chapman picks up a nice first down, and he gets blasted by Anthony Smith. That's another RB down for Miami and they're left with Patrick Cobbs. A drop by Booker and it's 2nd and 10.....sack, Larry Foote. 3rd and 16....Beck with the Bomb!!!!! Nothing. At least he tried something into single coverage. Booker got about an inch off the ground.

Wow...that punt on its own shows you how terrible this field is. It is just planted in the mud and doesn't move. I'm pulling that video.

Steelers ball at the 50....nine yard run for Parker. I'm calling a score right now. Another nice run for Parker and a first down for Pitt at the 34. Wow....another great run by Parker who looked bottled up, and he picks up another 8. Willie gets another 1 yard and it'll be 3rd and short.

Joey Porter stops them! He is still a beast. Holy shit! A field goal attempt.....

"If Gretchen Wilson is here for the party then she's at the wrong game."- Hanrahan

Hey, I'm having fun. Drinking makes everything more exciting!

End of the 3rd Quarter folks! 0-0 still, and I'm loving every minute!!!

So this game sucks....does anyone wanna come over for a little "Rock Band" action? Beck hits Booker over the middle on third and long and they're in Steelers territory! Cobbs gets about 2 on first down. Deep pass to Booker is nowhere near him, and there's a flag on the field. Penalty on the 'Phins.

A screen to Ted Ginn is too high and incomplete. 3rd and 13, and it's completed!!!!!!!! Beck to Booker! Holy crap, the Dolphins are at the Steelers' 24!

Cobbs gets back to back carries for not much and it's 3rd and long again....The Steelers blitz everyone, and the Dolphins are attempting a 38 yarder.....Feely.....

IT'S BLOCKED!!!! No....delay of game. Great job by the crew to note that this is actually a better spot to kick from. But no....Cam Cameron brings the offense back out?!!?!?!?!?!

Sack, fumble, Pittsburgh ball. Are you kidding me?!?!?!

Parker for 3 followed by a first down pass to Wilson. The rain is back and I'm happy....this 0-0 tie needs to happen!

3rd and 5 for Pitt and Roethlisberger hits Hines Ward and he fall into Dolphins territory at the 38. Damn you Steelers! Stop this driving right now.

Davenport for a few, and Parker for another couple, and it's 3rd and 5.....SACK! Back at the 42!!!!!

Ginn fair catches it at the 10 yard line again, and we're keeping the 0-0 tie dream alive folks!!!

Marty Booker on the screen for 1 yard, Beck had about 40 minutes to throw but is sacked, and another 1 yard pass from Beck leads to a Dolphins punt. False start before that and the 'Phins are punting from their own 5.....

Rossum is down at the Miami 42, and there's 4 minutes left for a score in this one. Let's go Dolphins D!!!!!

"If the twenty yard line was the goal line we'd still be scoreless."- Mike Tirico

That's amazing. Parker for a small gain, and a catch by Hines Ward inside the Red Zone!!! You had to jinx it Tirico!! Dammit. Parker for nine, but a flag is down.....a Holding Penalty!!!! Send them back! We need a sack Jason Taylor!!!

1st and 20, Ward for 6 yards...2nd and 14. Ward again for 11 yards and it's 3rd and short as we reach the 2 minute warning.

Line of the night goes to Tony Kornheiser for saying that the Steelers didn't want to score too quickly because they might "leave too much time for the Dolphins to come back down the field."

3rd and 3.....first down to Willie Reed on the WR screen. Damn you Pittsburgh. Damn you for making me witness this. Joey Porter knocks down the Big Ben pass on first down, Parker for a yard, and Miami calls timeout with one minute left.

"Anyone notice the time? This game started just after 9pm and at 2:17 already is down to 2mins....At least death has been quick."- Anon

I wish I could say that it felt that way. I feel I have been typing zeros for 7 hours now.

Roethlisberger is sacked, and that was the dumbest call in the history of Sports. Just down it on a nice piece of grass and kick the thing. This has to be the worst coached game ever. Reed will have about a 23 yarder to win it.

GOOD! 3 fucking nothing Steelers.

"Awful, thanks for making the worst game in NFL history so amusing. Wait, I took Miami and the points, so it actually wasn't a bad game at all."- Anon

No problem, and someone else made the same wager ;)

A lateral to Ginn on the squib, and that's not working at all. The Dolphins try the lateral game and it fails miserably. Good lord all of you are troopers for even posting one comment during this abortion. I'll see you next week for hopefully a dry and exciting game. Ugh.....it pains me to type this....

Ricky's back and so am I for yet another MNF live-blog. Hopefully the Dolphins can keep this game as interesting as the Eagles did last night, and that I'm not stuck with another yawner. See you back here around 8pm.

Chris Berman starts my night off with a Dolphins playing in the rain comment that completely confused me. Stu Scott is also noticeably absent from the pregame....Sal Pal is sitting in his seat next to Steve Young and Emmitt Smith.

Speaking of Emmitt, he actually had good insight when talking about Ricky Williams and the relationship with his teammates. I'm surprised.

Jaws tells us that the crappy field might actually help the Dolphins because of their power running game. Completely different than Berman saying that the Dolphins had an advantage because they are water-based creatures.

"Why is he even on the team? I can't trust him as a teammate."- Keyshawn Johnson

The ex-players do not seem to like Ricky one bit. Good for them for voicing their opinions.

"And of course Keyshaun, you were a helluva teammate right?"- Mookie

Good point.

Yes, the game is officially delayed! Wonderful. Lightning again. Big Ben is pretty jittery around the lightning bolts....well that and Caddys.

9pm is our starting time folks. Hope you can stick around for at least a few.

Wow, great insight by Bill Parcells on how he would handle the weather if he was coaching the game. He said if his team won the toss he'd kickoff because they'd want to play on the other team's side of the field.

"If there are any mistakes they'll happen on their end and if we make a mistake, they'll have to go the whole field."- Bill Parcells

Alright here we go folks....just before the game I'd like to throw up this photo of the baddest mother in the league, a person who's currently fighting for his life. As of last word Sean Taylor is responsive and out of surgery. I thought it was odd that they didn't really mention this during Monday Countdown, but they have their sights set on another crappy game. Get well Sean....I hope that we get to see this again someday....

_________________________________________________________

We're getting underway shortly and Seal is our music release of the night. Ugh.

Tafoya takes us through Ricky Williams troubles and his stint in a Psych Ward. Suzy then gives us another report on the field. We get it....it's not good.

Here's the kickoff, Steelers receive and he's taken down....uh, somewhere on the field....there's no numbers and simple addition and subtraction is too tough for the likes of me.

Parker for nothing, and Tony makes a Golf joke. Good start. Big Ben tries a pass and you can see he's not pleased with the conditions. Incomplete. Well lookie here.....a completion to Ward on third and long, and the Steelers are moving!

Wilson gets another pass, and now that I'm thinking about it didn't the Steelers destroy the Ravens in the rain early in the season. I think the actually enjoy this.

Joey Porter gets a pick and we here a terrible song from Seal. It's good Joey's finally earning his paycheck. BEEYAH!

Chapman gets zero yards after a penalty, and I'm pretty sure the Dolphins aren't getting a first down.

"I know, you know, you love me."- Joey Porter mouthing some trash to the Steelers.

Miami punts....and that ball is not going anywhere. It hit the turf and just stuck in the mud.

Willie Parker picks up a first and the Steelers are near midfield....I think.

"Joey Porter is a Sports Writers Dream because he never shuts up."- Tony Kornheiser

First down Steelers and they move into Dolphins territory. Uh oh....Ben fumbles! But recovers all the way back near midfield. Good rush by the 'Phins. A screen to Ward loses yards and a shuffle pass to the Deuce of Davenport for nothing leads to a Steelers punt. Fair catch by Ginn at the fifteen.

"Ricky? I've waited 22 months."- Tony Kornheiser

Here he is! 3rd down and 4.....and the handoff to Williams nets him some boos but a first down as well. Amazing. 2nd carry he gets knocked down after a yard. Tony goes into the same speech he had in pregame about #34...

"He went on television and said he liked to smoke pot. Well there are rules against that in this league."- Tony Kornheiser

Umm there's that, and the fact that it's ILLEGAL!!!

Dude that guy in the Jesus outfit with the sign that says "Have Faith in the Steelers" is weirding me out. Can we ban him or something.

Hey, I get the Pats on the live-blog next week! Great!!! I don't look ahead folks....one game at a time.

Good analysis by Jaws to tell us that the sloppy field is slowing down Jason Taylor. I'm sure my Grandmother couldn't have figured that one out.

Ben Rothelisberger is pleading to his coach to go for it, and here comes a 4th and 1.....

NOTHING! Miami just dominated the line on that one.

"I just thought it should be known that I'm following this game during a Data Analysis class, think Stats on steroids, and this running diary is actually boring me more than the class. I don't blame you guys though, I know you're trying your best. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna stick my knife in a socket and hope God understands why I did what I did."- Anon

Don't know what to tell you my friend. This game is dreadful. No one's moving the ball and Tony won't shut up about Ricky.

"Dig deep with that knife, my friend"- Statue Left

Ouch....let's play nice.

The Dolphins run with Williams and pick up a good gain, but decide to run a reverse to Ginn for some reason....loss of a few.

Ricky Williams Fumbles!!!! Flag on the field, Ricky was blasted by Farrior and his arm is hurting. The flags are both holding calls on the Dolphins and the Steelers get it at midfield.

Hahahaha....hilarious. Hadnot actually introduced the Dolphins' line as the most improved in the league for those of you in stats class. Riiiight.

"Into the hole comes Parker."- Mike Tirico

Ew.

"He got his hand on twelve balls, that's one of the best in the national football league."- Ron Jaworski on Safety Will Allen (Via Heath)

Hines Ward picks up a huge gain, but of course it's called back because of a penalty. God this is dreadful. 3rd and 17 screen goes to Davis and picks up about 9....that'll be yet another punt. Ginn with the fair catch again, this time at the nine.

This game is just pointless at this umm....point. Ricky Williams is going to the locker room and all angles that ESPN had are out the window. Please get to halftime quick. Timeout Miami....dammit.

Beck had a receiver and a nice throw is of course dropped. Dolphins punt. Holy shit....Rossum's gonna return one for a score!!!! No! Tackled by the punter at the 50. This thing is going to be a scoreless tie.

Completion for a first, and Parker picks up another nine. 3rd and short for the Steelers....first down to Hines Ward. Wait, offensive pass interference on Heath Miller negates that. That was sketchy at best. 3rd and 11. Sack. Big Ben waited about 40 minutes to throw that ball. Hey....a punt! Another Ginn fair catch and there's 2 minutes left.

Wow Beck gets a nice pickup and are actually driving. Wait, check that....Miami's not calling a timeout. What the hell? YOU'RE 0-10!!!!! Go for it. Fuck this game....